The present invention relates generally to apparatus for refining herbage and more particularly to a device which, upon vigorous shaking thereof, may cause herbage contained therein to be separated into a refined portion and a roughage portion containing seeds, twigs or the like which may be discarded. The device of the invention may be hand-held and manually shaken in order to readily separate the roughage from the desirable or refined portion of the herbal substance.
Herbs have a variety of uses. Of course, one of the most widely known herbs is probably marijuana but it will be appreciated that there exist many other herbs ranging from teas used for the preparations of beverages or as health foods to herbs used for smoking. Many of the herbs used for smoking are considered to contain psychoactive substances, nevertheless, these herbs may be freely and legally used without prohibition. A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that there may be at least 192 herbs commercially available which are used for smoking and which are not legally prohibited.
Furthermore, there has developed a substantial amount of commercial activity involved with the widespread distribution and sale of paraphernalia for use with herbs of various kinds. Such paraphernalia may range from smoking implements to cleaning or refining devices of a type to which the present invention relates.
Indeed, a wide variety of items exist which are useful with many types of herbal substances and the demand and commercial significance of such items is expanding rapidly.
The present invention relates to one such item and is directed particularly toward a device which may be used to easily and readily refine any one of the variety of herbs. The device of the present invention is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use and capable of separating twigs, seeds and other roughage from herbal substances of the type discussed above in a singularly effective and convenient manner.